Golf green



Aug. 16, 1927. 1,638,862

J. P. I oTT GOLF GREEN Filed' Jumelle, 1925 .JO 52 l 23 mini?? L Invent/jr' Patented Aug. `16, 1927.

UNITED STATES LOUIS J. P. LOTT,

OF DAYTON, OHIO.

GOLF GREEN.

Application filed June 18,

This invention 'relates to an improved construction of green for golf courses, and. one of the principal objects of the invention is to vprovidea Agreen in which the ingredients are so arranged as to permanently provide forA an even stand of grass and a sur- 'face which will not be at any time muddy, norkslippery, nor baked. which will be firm but resilient under foot, andl in which the lo seed will not wash when first sown.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromtheI description thereof set out below, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, 1 in whichis illustrated, diagrammatically. a cross sectional view through a part of a green constructed in 'accordance with this invention.

In the construction of a green, in accordance with'this invention, the top layers of vthe ground are stripped oii' tothe desired depth to provide a surface adapted to receive the various layers of material which go to make up the built up part of the-greep.

To provide suitable drainage trenches are provided. within each of which is posi# tioned porous drain tile or pipes 16, constructed to permit the passage of water from the trenches into the interior jof the pipe; whence it may Adrain away. The trenches 15. are ,preferably arranged so that the various branches'of the drain will be laid in the manner f tree branches, converging upon a main trunk line which is to be led to a convenient low point Aon the outside ot the green. The bottom of the trenches should preferably in all -Cases be ahout'lS inches below the finished surface of the green, eachtrench beingabout 8 inches wide. The tile are firmly bedded in' a laver of gravel or cinders 17, at least a one inch layer of gravel or leinders beina' between the drain tileand the bottom of the trench 1.5. The tile joints are covered with a strip 18 of tarred building paper or the like?, and the trench 'is then entirely filled with gravel vor cinders to a height several inches above the height of the'top of thetile. The layerA of cinders or gravel surrounding the tile should preferably be points. The gravel and cinders having been tamped in `to a height of several inches at least one inch thick at all p 1923. Serial No. 646,113.

above the top of the drain tile thebalanc'e ,peat bogs of Iowa and western Illinois, soil,

sand, preferably of a sharp and gritty character, and old cow or horsemanure, free from wood shavings. The proportionsin which these various ingredients are mixed will depend somewhat upon the nature of the'soil used but a very satisfactory mixture h HS. been found to be 105 cubicfeet of ma- 75 nure,l 315 cubic feet of soil, 8O cubic feet of peat moss` and 25 cubic feet of sand, the mixture to `cover an area ofone thousand square feet. The character of the soil will vary with different localities, and itmay be necessary to vary the proportion of some of the other .ingredients accordingly. For instance with a more clayey soil the-proportion of sand should be` greater than with a less clayey soil.

A deep rooting layerof this composition lwill'have water Yholding properties, will be a warmth giving soil, and will at the same time have suiiicient porosity. particularly due to the moss, to properly aerate the soil and prevent soaring, and will also 4provide a long lived fertilizino layer`r so that a continued healthy growth of gra-ss will be secured.

This deep rooting layer. if the proportions above mentioned are used, will he about siX and a quarter to'six'and a half inches thick, when it is spread on the prepared surface of the ground, and should'be rolled to compact it.

Immediately on top of this deep rooting layer is a layer 28, consisting of a comparatively thin layer of a fertilizing material which is'rich in fertilizing properties, but

is of such a nature that it liberates its fertilizing constituents slowly, to thus last for a long time. A thin layer of crushed chicken v ishing layer a mixture .of shredded peatmoss,

of the character described above, 42 cubic feet; screened soil,ofgood character found in the neighborhood of the green, 86 cubic feet; cow 'manure 9 cubic feet; bone meal,

which is al quick acting, powerful fertilizer, 6 cubic feet; -and sand of the character above referred toabout 9 cubic feet, the admixture to be'spread over an area of one thousand square feet, will function very satisfactorily. Of-cou-rse, as stated'above with vEN) regardto the deep rooting layer the proportions of the ingredients may be varied where needed to meet' particular conditions,

.but the proportions given will ordinarily function very v satisfactorily. When mixed in the following proportions and spreadover an area of 1,000 square feet this nourishing layer will be from one-and a quarter to one and aha'lf inches in thickness.

' Preferably the nourishing layer should be applied'between guide strips about 11/4 inches thick laid'close together or 'far apart according to the undulations of the green, so that a very smooth surface. free from small irregularities that will constitute water pockets, may be secured. The surface should be laid so that it willdrain properly, and pools of water will not be allowed to accumulate.

vOn top of this nourishing layer is the top or germinating layer 32 which should be comparatively thin, preferably about f3@ lof an inch thick. iIn' this germinating layer the grass seed and other materials constituting it are-thoroughly admixed before being spread inplace, and' consequently washing away of the seedv alone will be prevented.

It should also be composed ofingredients constituting a quick acting powerful, fertilizer, to give quick initial growth. It should also be springy, and porous.

To secure vthese characteristics the germinating layer preferably consists of about 7 cubic feet of shredded peat moss, of the character specified above` screened soil and sand 7 cubic feet, and bone meal 2 cubi@ feet, theseingredients to be thoroughly admixed, along with about two pounds of grass `seed and the resulting admixture spread upon a surface -of approximately 1,000 square feet.v To insure uniform distribution of the seed over the surface the' seed should be admixed with the ingredients constituting this germinating layer 'before it is spread in place. 'I

This layer is preferably applied bymeans of'guide strips about {v -*inch thick and the material filled in between these, beginning at :the rear of the green and working for- In a green thus constructed the materials of the germinating layer are evenly mixed, and also the underlying layers are uniform in composition, throughout, and consequently equal nourishment -and drainage, with a resulting even stand of grass, should be secured. Furthermore because of the composition of the nourishing layer and the deep rooting layer the .roots of the grass will be in a warm, moistureholding rsoil which will be'conducive to the growth of a good grade of grass. And because of the springy'porous nature of the layers of the green, andthe drainage supplied, `the surface will not become muddy at any time, nor slippery, nor, on the other hand will it become baked! For while 'the nourishing layer 30 and the deep rooting layer 25, are sufficiently porous to permit the ready flow-of watertherethrough, stillV the layer of soil 19, which is positioned `within-the upper part of'the'trench 15,a cts somewhat vas a retardent. to prevent'the too f rapid flow of water to the drains. and also tends to prevent the escape'from the layers above of the nourishing constituentsthereof. This layer 19 functions to a'llowlthe exe cess water to pass off, this -excess water readily. passing through the porous layers 2'5 and 30. But because of the porous character of these two layers a considerable quantity of moisture will be retained in them,

thus giving a soil having long moisture retaining qualities. Furthermore because of the character of the ingredients within this soil the surface will'not bake even thoughv it should become dry, but will at. all'times form a firm but springy cushion under foot, a cushion adapted to hold the ball. In addition the materials constitutingthe various lower layers retain their fertilizin'g properties for along period, thus insuring a continued and permanentfood supply for the grass.

While the form of invention hereinI described constitutes a `preferred embodiment thereof, it is to `be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise'form, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the 'scope'aof the iiivention which is defined in the appended claim. y l

What is claimed is:

A golf green of the character described, in lwhich specially' prepared grassbearing material is spread upon the prepared `surface of the groum, consisting of a germinatconsisting of manure, soi1, shredded peat ing layer composed of an dmixture of moss, and sand; and means for drainin shredded peat moss, soil, and bone meal; a away the excess moisture passing doWnWar 1 0 nourishing laye? consisting of shredded peat 1y through the said layers.

moss, soil, cow manuree bone meal, and sand; In testimony whereof I hereto aiix my a. long lived fer-tilizing layer Consisting of signature.

crushed chicken bone; a deep rooting layer THUIS J. P. LOTT. 

